UFC St. Petersburg results: Makhachev, Modafferi get main card wins

Check out the results and highlights from the UFC St. Petersburg main card, including Islam Makhachev winning a decision over Arman Tsarukyan in the co-main event.

The UFC St. Petersburg main card is in-progress, and Islam Makhachev just earned a gritty unanimous decision over UFC newcomer Arman Tsarukyan. Makhachev now enjoys a five-fight winning streak, and just might be up for a ranked opponent in his next matchup. This was a tough UFC debut for Tsarukyan, but he is only 22-years-old and should be back in no time. Before that, Sergey Pavlovich realized a violent 66-second knockout of Marcelo Golm. After dropping his UFC to Alistair Overeem last November, this is a much better representation of what Pavlovich has to offer. As for Golm, this is his third loss in a row.

Also on the main card, Roxanne Modafferi pulled off a major upset tonight by earning a split decision over Antonina Shevchenko. The +270 betting underdog Modafferi leaned on her grappling and wealth of MMA experience to take the -330 favorite Shevchenko out of her wheelhouse. Kicking off the main card, Krzysztof Jotko dominated Alen Amedovski on the ground for the bulk of three-rounds to earn himself a unanimous decision victory. The win breaks up a three-fight losing skid for Jotko, who just completed the final fight on his UFC contract. At 7-4 under the UFC banner, will the company elect to re-sign the 20-4 promotional vet?

Main card:

Islam Makhachev def. Arman Tsarukyan by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28): Lightweight

The opening round saw Makhachev look to deploy his grappling attack, but Tsarukyan was up for the scrambles. Back and forth they went, looking to take the other man down to the floor. The same thing occurred in the second round. Both men went technique for technique in the grappling, with neither man really icing the round. The final act was the same song and dance, at first. Even scrambles back and forth were going on, until the end of the round where Makhachev began to take over. He was able to come up with two emphatic takedowns, the second of which he kept until time ran out.

Sergey Pavlovich def. Marcelo Golm by KO at 1:06 of round 1: Heavyweight

The heavyweights got right to work, standing in front of each other looking to strike. It was Pavlovich who landed the first heavy shot, and wasted no time in going in for the kill. Pavlovich blitz his foe with a violent flurry, with a set of right hands finding a home. Golm was toast and the referee was right there to stop the fight.

Roxanne Modafferi def. Antonina Shevchenko def. by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29): (W) Flyweight

Modafferi pressed forward in the opening round, doing what she had to do to close the distance, but Shevchenko did not make it easy for her. The pressure of Modafferi made it difficult for Shevchenko to maintain the distance she needed to get her strikes off. Shevchenko got her counter strikes going early in the second round, catching Modafferi rushing in. The tenacity of Modafferi paid off, as she was able to close the distance and put Shevchenko on the ground. Several ground strikes added up for Modafferi before the round ended. The final round kicked off with Shevchenko showcasing some urgency. She began throwing her hands three at a time as well as mixing in her kicks. Modafferi did what she needed to do to close the distance and turn the fight back into a grappling match.

Krzysztof Jotko def. Alen Amedovski by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26 x2): Middleweight

Jotko came out with tons of movement, and was the one willing to take the fight to all areas of the sport. At first, Amedovski was competitive in the grappling exchanges, but as the round wore on, it was apparent who the better grappler was. Jotko returned to the takedown in the second round. Amedovski found himself stuck on the bottom with no answers. Jotko racked up the strikes, and eventually worked his way into the crucifix. Amedovski ate several more blows before the round ended. The final round saw more of the same. Jotko found his takedown and dropped strikes as he controlled Amedovski on the ground. Once Amedovski hit the floor, he did not return to his feet.